Loose-leaf binder container for



March 31, 1964 A. A. CAPUTl 3,126,891

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER CONTAINER FOR PENCILS AND THE LIKE Filed May 51, 19624 /2 INVENTOR.

ALFRED A C/IPUT/ 14 7' T IPA/E Y5 United States Patent 3,126,891LOOSE-LEAF BINDER CONTAINER FOR PENCILS AND THE LIKE Alfred A. Caputi,71 Parkdale Ave., Buffalo 13, N.Y. Filed May 31, 1962, Ser. No. 198,8713 Claims. (Cl. 129-1) This invention relates to a new loose-leafnotebook combination and more particularly to the combination of aloose-leaf notebook with a novel holder or receptacle for articles ofstationery such as pens, pencils, erasers and the like.

The present invention provides means for holding and retaining pens,pencils, erasers, etc., in cooperation with the ring binder portion of aloose-leaf notebook and with the notebook generally, so as to provideconvenient and secure storage space for such articles. Thenotebookreceptacle arrangement of the present invention is such as totake unusual and particularly efficient advantage of the spacepecularities of a ring binder notebook of the type wherein the rings arehingedly carried by a backing member secured to the inner side of thespine of the notebook. Furthermore, the holder or receptacle of thepresent invention is such that, in conjunction with a flat, relativelystiff sheet which comprises a cover for the receptacle, a particularlygood writing surface is provided for writing on notebook pages which areresting upon the receptacle device and its associated cover sheet.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a holderwhich is rugged and durable and which may be fabricated economically ona mass production basis. Furthermore, the receptacle and article holderof the present invention is so arranged that various articles of thegeneral nature referred to above may be freely inserted and removed andwill be held securely and in proper alignment and position whenassociated with the holder.

Other objects and advantages of the device of the present invention willoccur to those skilled in the art from a consideration of theaccompanying drawing and the following specification which depict anddescribe a specific embodiment of my invention by way of example. It isto be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to thisexemplary embodiment, and that various mechanical modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention, the latterbeing limited only as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a general elevational view of a loose-leaf notebook in openposition and equipped with one form of the article holder and receptacleof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line 22 of FIG. 1;and

FIG. 3 is a bottom end elevational view of the note book of FIG. 1 in aclosed position.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the severalfigures of the drawing. The numeral designates generally a conventionalloose-leaf ring binder having a back or spine portion 11, a front cover12, a rear cover 13, rings 14 mounted upon a ring support member 15, anda filler 16 retained by the rings 14.

The main body member of the article holder element of my new combinationcomprises, in the instance illustrated, by way of example, a stiff sheetor panel 20 of molded plastic, fiberboard, or similar suitable materialwhich is preferably perforated along an edge thereof as at 21 to fitinterchangeably into various standard ring binders or loose-leafnotebooks of conventional construction.

The panel 20 is molded or pressed throughout its central area to providedepressions or well formations, in the present instance two in number,designated 24 and 25.

3,126,891 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 These depressions provide space forreceiving and housing various writing and erasing implements and thelike, as generally indicated in FIG. 1.

In the form illustrated herein, by way of example, the panel 20 has arelatively undepressed portion 27 lying between the depressed portions24 and 25 and this area is provided with various groove-like depressions28 extending from one depression 24 to the other for receiving, inlengthwise position, various pencils and pens and like articles, as at29.

In the form shown herein, by way of example, the grooves or depressions28 are somewhat more than semicircular in cross-section so that theirupper edges, adjacent to the main plane of the panel 20, somewhatoverlie articles placed therein and in effect provide slightly narrowedentrance spaces. The material of which the panel 20 is made is of somedegree of resilience, as in the case of molded plastic or pressedfiberboard, so that articles such as pens and pencils when pressed intothe grooves 28 snap into posiiton and are resiliently held againstaccidental dislodgment.

Additional article holding formations are provided, in the presentinstance, by way of further undepressed portions or areas 30 and 31which are formed with depressed grooves for receiving articles such as apencil sharpener 33 and an eraser 34, by way of example. In this casethe grooves in the portions 30 and 31 may be sufliciently narrow tofrictionally grip articles pressed therein.

A relatively stiff sheet or panel member 38, likewise perforated to fitthe rings 14 of the notebook, is included in the assembly in therelative position illustrated in the drawing whereby it serves as acover for the housing portion of panel 20 by lying thereagainst when thenotebook is closed or when it is open but access to the article holderor receptacle is not desired.

It will be noted that the depressions 24 and 25 are progressively deeperfrom left to right as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3; that is, thedepressions are shallower at the outer portion of panel 20 and deeper atthe portion adjacent to the rings 14. In the illustrated instance thisdifierence in depth is utilized to some extent to accommodate larger orthicker articles in the deeper portions of the depressions, but in anyevent the difference in depth results in a conformation of the panel 20which tapers outwardly and thus cooperates with the receptacle coversheet 38 to provide a much better writing surface than is ordinarilyprovided at the left-hand side of a loose-leaf notebook when only one ora few of the pages are turned to the left for writing on the second sideof the page.

The generally wedge-shaped end conformation of a loose-leaf notebookassembly is thus utilized to house a receptacle or holder of taperedconformation, as shown best in FIG. 3, and the holder is at the sametime utilized to overcome the difficulties ordinarily encountered inwriting on the surface which results, in conventional notebooks, whenonly one or a few pages have been turned over and a user attempts towrite on the lefthand side of the notebook and the thus turned pages.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a looseleaf notebook having a pair of covershinged to opposite edges of a back, binder rings secured to said back,an article holder comprising a relatively thin sheet of moderately rigidmaterial of substantially the same dimensions as said covers and havinga base panel portion lying in a single plane, said sheet havingundulating formations extending away from said plane to provide articlereceiving depressions, said panel portion having perforations along oneedge engaged by said rings of the notebook, the depression portionsclosest to the panel edge bearing said perforations being substantiallydeeper than the depressions remote from said edge 3 whereby the holderis substantially wedge-shaped as viewed from the end thereof, and a flatstiif panel likewise having perforations along one edge engaged by saidrings of said notebook at the open side of said depressions and havingsubstantially the same dimensions as said sheet to'form a cover memberfor said article holder and a writing surface for pages of saidnotebook.

2. In combination with a looseleaf notebook having a pair of covershinged to the opposite edges of a back, binder rings secured to saidback, an article holder com prising a relatively thin sheet ofmoderately rigid material of substantially the same dimensions as saidcovers and having a base panel portion lying in a single plane, saidpanel portion having perforations along one edge engaged by said ringsof the notebook, said sheet having undulating formations extending awayfrom said plane to provide spaced article receiving depressions, saiddepressions being of channel cross-section and having restrictedentrance portions adjacent to the plane of the base panel portionadapted to receive and resiliently retain pens, pencils and likearticles, and a fiat stiff panel likewise having perforations along oneedge engaged by said rings of said notebook at the open side of saiddepressions and having substantially the same dimensions as said sheetto form a cover member for said article holder and a writing surface forpages of said notebook.

3. In combination with a looseleaf notebook having a pair of covershinged to opposite edges of a back, binder rings secured to said back,any article holder comprising a relatively thin sheet of moderatelyrigid material of substantially the same dimensions as said covers andhaving a base panel portion lying in a single plane, said panel portionhaving perforations along one edge engaged by said rings of thenotebook, said sheet having undulating formations extending away fromsaid plane to provide a pair of spaced article receiving depressions andfurther undulating formations in said panel of channel cross-sectionconnecting said pair of depressions, said channel formations havingrestricted entrance portions adjacent to the plane of the base panelportion adapted to receive and resiliently retain pens, pencils and likearticles with the end portions of the articles projecting into saidspaced depression for ready grasping to remove the same from the holder,and a flat stifi" panel likewise having perforations along one edgeengaged by said rings of said note- 'book at the open side of saiddepressions and having substantially the same dimensions as said sheetto form a cover member for said article holder and a. writing surfacefor pages of said notebook.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,607,863 Betts Nov. 23, 1926 2,048,980 Vanhoosen July 28, 19362,194,003 Brooks Mar. 19, 1940 2,223,560 Friedlaender Dec. 3, 19402,228,493 Will Jan. 14, 1941 2,318,192 Boelerna May 4, 1943 2,699,865Bowen Jan. 18, 1955

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A LOOSELEAF NOTEBOOK HAVING A PAIR OF COVERSHINGED TO OPPOSITE EDGES OF A BACK, BINDER RINGS SECURED TO SAID BACK,AN ARTICLE HOLDER COMPRISING A RELATIVELY THIN SHEET OF MODERATELY RIGIDMATERIAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIMENSIONS AS SAID COVERS AND HAVINGA BASE PANEL PORTION LYING IN A SINGLE PLANE, SAID SHEET HAVINGUNDULATING FORMATIONS EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID PLANE TO PROVIDE ARTICLERECEIVING DEPRESSIONS, SAID PANEL PORTION HAVING PERFORATIONS ALONG ONEEDGE ENGAGED BY SAID RINGS OF THE NOTEBOOK, THE DEPRESSION PORTIONSCLOSEST TO THE PANEL EDGE BEARING SAID PERFORATIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLYDEEPER THAN THE DEPRESSIONS REMOTE FROM SAID EDGE WHEREBY THE HOLDER ISSUBSTANTIALLY WEDGE-SHAPED AS VIEWED FROM THE END THEREOF, AND A FLATSTIFF PANEL LIKEWISE HAVING PERFORATIONS ALONG ONE EDGE ENGAGED BY SAIDRINGS OF SAID NOTEBOOK AT THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID DEPRESSIONS AND HAVINGSUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIMENSIONS AS SAID SHEET TO FORM A COVER MEMBERFOR SAID ARTICLE HOLDER AND A WRITING SURFACE FOR PAGES OF SAIDNOTEBOOK.